1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a centrifuge apparatus for separating and/or washing finely-divided solids suspended in a liquid, such as blood. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disposable, rotatable, multi-pointed, star-shaped enclosure for use with such an apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Blood washing is a procedure known in the art. Various devices have been proposed for washing blood to remove unwanted constituents such as contaminants, toxicants, viruses, medicants, glycerines and the like. Many of these devices center around an operation for separating the blood cells, especially the red blood cells from the plasma and, after washing the blood cells, resuspending the cells in uncontaminated plasma or other suitable blood cell resuspending liquid. This is particularly useful for blood bank purposes where contaminants such as unwanted white cells or glycerines are washed from the blood and the washed blood can then be used in the blood bank.
In another mode of use, blood containing unwanted medicants, such as barbiturates and the like, can be washed and then introduced to the donor/patient. Similarly, allergens and serum proteins can be washed from blood. Also, the devices and methods can be used to deglycerinate previously frozen but thawed whole blood (frozen blood has glycerin added thereto) or to remove cellular debris from whole blood since particles of different densities will form different layers in a centrifuge. Other similar kinds of separation and/or washing operations can be performed with these known devices.
While a wide variety of devices have been proposed in the art, the most successful devices are based upon a centrifugal separation of the blood cells from the plasma, with subsequent counter-flow washing of the blood cells. For example, whole blood is placed in a centrifuge device, which, upon revolving, forces the cells into discrete areas where the blood cells are compacted. Thereafter a washing solution, such as a sterile saline solution, is passed through the compacted blood cells to wash those cells of unwanted constituents.
Examples of these prior art centrifuge apparatuses for separating and washing blood are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,347,454; 3,561,671; 3,724,747 and 3,982,691. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,691 and in divisional application Ser. No. 714,651, filed Aug. 16, 1976, assigned to the same assignee as this application, there is described an apparatus which included a rotatable enclosure having an injector for moving suspended blood cells as well as liquids into and out of the enclosure; a plurality of angularly shaped blood cell receiving areas in fluid communication with each other and evenly spaced about the longitudinal periphery of the enclosure and forming a part of the enclosure, wherein at least one pair of opposite wall portions of each receiving area converge toward the periphery of the enclosure forming a locus of maximum centrifugal force in the rotating enclosure at the apexes formed by the juncture of the converging wall portions; and a plurality of independent conduits in fluid communication with each other, each with one end thereof in fluid communication with the injector and the other end thereof connected to the locus of maximum centrifugal force.